trosenau@nujournal.com

SPRINGFIELD — For eight innings on Saturday, the Hanska Lakers and Springfield Tigers exchanged punches in their Region 2C Amateur Baseball Tournament state-quaifying game.

But the Lakers had enough of that in the ninth inning.

Tied up at 4-4 entering the ninth, the Lakers delivered the knockout blow with a nine-run ninth inning to down the Tigers 13-4 and punch a ticket to the Class C State Amateur Baseball Tournament for the second year in a row.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau The Hanska Lakers’ Derek Wilfahrt watches an RBI double of his during a Region 2C Amateur Baseball Tournament state-qualifying game against Springfield on Saturday at Riverside Park in Springfield.

The Tigers aren’t out of contention yet, however, as they fall to an elimination game at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Springfield. A win there will clinch one of Region 2C four spots in this year’s state tournament.

The Lakers, meanwhile, move on to play in the Region 2C title game in Sleepy Eye at 6 p.m. Saturday. The winner gets the top seed from Region 2C at state, while the loser gets the second seed.

Brady Mosenden was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI to lead the Hanska bats over Springfield, while Tanner Olson was 1 for 4 with two RBIs.

Sam Knowles got the pitching win in two innings of relief of Aaron Portner, allowing four hits and no walks for one earned run while striking out two. Portner went seven innings in his start and allowed four hits and four walks for three earned runs.

Tori Helget led the Springfield bats, going 2 for 2 with a solo home run, while Ryan Sturm was 2 for 4.

Jordan Milbrath got the start on the mound for the Tigers and went seven innings, allowing three hits and six walks for four runs, two earned, while striking out four. Helget took the loss in 1 1/3 innings of relief, allowing three hits and three walks for seven runs, four earned, while striking out two.

After the Lakers took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth when Chris Knowles led off with a double and was driven in on a single by Tanner Olson, it didn’t take the Tigers long to answer.

Kade Nachreiner led off the bottom of the eighth and a sac bunt by Milbrath moved Nachreiner to second. Tyler Hach then singled in Nachreiner to make it 4-4.

Then Hanska’s big ninth inning put things away. A leadoff walk to Andy Wurster was followed by a sac bunt from Brock Wellmann, bringing up Kevin Larson, who was intentionally walked to bring up Derek Wilfahrt. Wilfahrt lined a double into left to give the Lakers the lead back at 5-4.

Chris Knowles was intentionally walked, but Tanner Olson reached on an error at third that scored another Hanska run.

Mosenden singled into right to make it 7-4 before Chris Knowles came home on a passed ball to make it an 8-4 game. A single by Sawyer Olson made it 10-4.

Helget was able to force a groundout for the second out of the inning, but a single by Wurster made it an 11-4 game and a Wellmann double into left scored another two runs for the final score.

Portner and Milbrath had success keeping hits off the board in the first three innings, but Portner walked Brandon Wilhelmi and Helget back-to-back to start the bottom of the third. After a sac bunt from Madden Lendt, a wild pitch scored Wilhelmi and put Helget at third. Helget came home on an error to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

Milbrath had some trouble finding the zone in the fourth, with two-out walks to Tanner Olson, Mosenden and Sawyer Olson loaded the bases. Sam Knowles hit a grounder to shortstop that led to an error and a run scoring to make it a 2-1 game.

Helget got a hold of a pitch in the fifth and sent it over the fence in left for a solo homer to put Springfield up 3-1.

Mosenden doubled with two outs in the sixth and took third on a wild pitch before another error allowed Sawyer Olson on and Mosenden to score, cutting the Springfield lead to 3-2.

The Lakers tied it in the seventh on a sac fly from Larson, setting up the run exchange in the eighth and nine-run Lakers rally in the ninth.